Is this what Cleopatra felt, asks Celina Jaitley

Actor Celina Jaitley has been to the land of the Pyarmids several times and each time she says brings only one sentence to her mind. “Egypt is like a doorway, to the past, present and future all at the same time. I love it!” she exclaims.

For someone who likes holidays steeped in history, her recent trip was a welcome break. “There is nothing in the world I would want more then to spend my holiday in a place where I feel like I’m a part of the past,  present and the future all at the same time. It’s wonderful to have the privilege of being lost, especially when I want to get away from the daily stresses of my life,” she says.

Stay and sightseeing
“Every time the plane is about to land here I feel I am on a flying carpet looking down on a magical land with its graceful minarets, jigsaws of flat roofed buildings, palm groves and tall pyramids,” she says. Her room too offered a lovely view. “It made me feel like I was on my own private barge on the river Nile. I could not stop thinking — is this what Cleopatra must have felt when she went cruising down the picturesque Nile?” smiles Celina. She also has her own favourites among the places she went to there.

“To start, I’d have to mention the Pyramids of Giza. Thereare three main pyramids actually —  the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops), The Pyramid of Khafre and the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure. Each Pyramid is a tomb to a different king of Egypt. The Sphinx is mesmerising — carved out of a single block of stone,” she says. Next to that, is the monument of Abu Simbel. “One must not miss the daily sound and light show here.” She says it’s a good idea to save one’s energy for the Temples of Karnak. “The site measures 1500x800 meters, and is a spectacular complex of kiosks, pylons and obelisks, so it’s quite a walk around,”  laughs Celina.

A must-do was a trip to the Valley of the Kings on the ancient site of Thebes. “It is where you will find Tutankhamun’s tomb which was discovered almost intact in the 1920’s. You can go inside the tomb,” she informs.

A little town provided some TLC. “The Siwa Oasis is situated in the Western Desert close to the Libyan border is Egypt’s most remote oasis town. The jewellery and crafts here are exquisite. It’s a wonderful place to relax, swim and eat some olives,” she adds.

On the Nile
Taking a felucca down the Nile is something you must do when visiting Egypt, advises Celina. “The short sunset sails in Cairo and Alexandria are beautiful. Nothing can beat sailing in a quiet rig that was designed thousands of years ago. Make sure you like and trust your felucca captain before you hop on board, it will really make a difference to your experience.”

Eating like an Egyptian
The food was part of the interesting experience. “I liked the molokhiyya (a spinach-like vegetable) and ful mudammas (cooked, creamy fava beans) — a national dish as well as the tahini (sesame paste) and aish baladi (a pita-like bread).

Shopping
Celina visited the Medieval section of Cairo and found it bustling with life. “There are mosques at every corner, as well as churches, huge quaint gates and bazaars selling everything from motorbike parts to perfumes,” she says. She also shopped at the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. “I picked up some really pretty lanterns and trinkets from here too,” she says.

Is Celina going back to Egypt soon? “Oh yes, no number of trips would be enough for me to take in all that Egypt has to offer. My affair with Egypt began when I first read about Cleopatra and Caesar and Mark Antony. Every time I am there, I feel like a
witness to the world greatest love stories,” she smiles.